Mobile Device Management (MDM) Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) Mobile device management

Mobile Device Management, MDM (in Gartner understanding) is the software for work with corporate systems by means of mobile devices.

The market of means of MDM in recent years was a little consolidated, but on it a wide choice of tools and services is still provided. Among them and mail servers with the built-in MDM functionality, both cloud services, and tools which can be integrated with large-scale packets for systems management. At universal distribution of practice BYOD and the small companies, and big business will be able to find a suitable product both on the needs, and on the budget.

Analysts of IDC consider the solutions MDM together with technologies of management of mobile applications and mobile content and call these products the general concept Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM).

What is expected from a mobilita

Each of the parties has claims, Citrix

Fragmentation of devices, applications and data

2015

Management of corporate mobility. Gartner look

Experts of Gartner^[1] is defined by EMM as a class of the software tools supporting a possibility of use of mobile devices in corporate business processes that is implemented using data integration of hardware into IT systems and on Wednesdays safety at all stages of management of lifecycle of IT. In terms of business, EMM tools allow to solve the following main objectives:

• preparation of devices for work — configuring of mobile devices and installation of applications for corporate use;
• audit, monitoring and preparation of the reporting — control of compliance of devices and applications to corporate politicians and also tracking of the questions connected with management of computing and data assets of the enterprise (including accounting of use of these or those services and applications);
• protection of corporate data — management of access rights, data encryption, control of information flows, tracking of situations when users or devices become "false" (dismissal of employees, loss of devices, not authorized reconfiguring and so forth);
• technical support of users — the operational solution specialists of IT departments of problems of use of mobile devices by the staff of the organization.

At the same time Gartner selects four main technical categories of EMM packets, emphasizing that in terms of functionality they can be crossed. The companies can use completely these functions or only part of them in conformity the to requirements.

Mobile device management (Mobile device management, MDM) — technology of management of lifecycle of the platform which includes functionality of accounting of the used devices, configuration management of OS, management of mobile applications (including their initialization and deinitialization, remote cleaning, remote monitoring and control of faulty situations). Usually these tasks are implemented through installation on the mobile device of the corresponding MDM profiles.

Management of mobile applications (Mobile application management, MAM) ensures functioning of individual applications according to corporate politicians. Including here problems of installation of applications from the centralized corporate repository and local management of applications on the device via the EMM console are solved. Such functionality is especially necessary if used on the OS device it has no required level of management or security or when the organization decides not to install the MDM agent on the device. MAM can also include a set of analytical opportunities which helps administrators and owners of applications to estimate efficiency of the set configurations. Quite often at the same time the functionality of MAM and MDM is shared. Experts select two main options of implementation of MAM. In the first case EMM vendors offer proprietary mobile applications with enhanced capabilities of management of them. Usually it belongs to applications for personal work of the employee, such as safe personal information managers for e-mail, calendars, contact management and also the protected browsers. In other cases it is about expansions of the applications created using building tools softwares (SDK and DDK) or methods of connection of additional components.

Mobile identification allows to execute access to corporate applications only from "reliable" devices and users. For implementation of these opportunities different technologies can be used (in a specific case — one or several): certificates (for users and devices), coding of applications, authentication and so forth. Even more often EMM tools apply the different context information (for example, time or location) helping to make decisions when providing access.

Mobile content management (Mobile content management, MCM) allows users to obtain the necessary information via the mobile devices. The functionality of MCM within EMM packets solves four main classes of tasks. First, it is an opportunity to safely save information obtained from external sources on the mobile device (investments in letters, files from any, including cloud, repositories and so forth). Secondly, it is about connection to corporate repositories also obtaining information from there. Thirdly, this use of push-technologies for installation, replacements and removals of files. Fourthly — protection at the file level.

Of course, EMM tools, usually do not provide the full-fledged functionality maintained, for example, by class DLP products (protection against data loss) and IRM (management of access rights to information), but nevertheless they can provide the necessary security level for implementation of certain scenarios of use of mobile devices, and in case of need they can be integrated into more powerful security systems.

The world of corporate mobility is very various, and vendors implement different approaches to solving of tasks of EMM. Respectively, there are many factors influencing the choice by the customer for the organization of specific vendor and a product. At the same time one of the main aspects is demonstration by suppliers of readiness of fast reaction to changes in the mobile environment, supports of mobile applications, crucial for the organization, and integration of mobile devices into corporate IT infrastructure, for example in a public key infrastructure (PKI), VPN networks, wireless communication environments, platforms of management of an indentifikation and access.

One of the main features of the mobile world — fast changings in it, existence of a large number of suppliers, hardware and software solutions. Respectively, requirements in EMM packets quickly change. Gartner recommends to the companies to deal for formation of the correct EMM strategy with top trends of development of mobility and to watch closely the changes happening here. It is necessary to study the best practices of implementation of corporate mobility, to consider all possible scenarios of use of the mobile environment in the organization, including BYOD, to formulate own specific requirements. And only after it to define the list of potential EMM suppliers. Authors of the report highlight that it is not necessary to select vendor on the basis of only its provision from a magic quadrant.

By estimates of Gartner, organization apply from 8 to 15 mobile applications to the employees, data of summer of 2015. Earlier in this list usually there were basic horizontal tools, such as electronic mails, contacts, calendars, but now even more often here are present applications, crucial for business, and data and also programs for certain roles. This trend defines increase in importance of management of mobile infrastructure, including in respect of security. It is already not just about support of hardware, and about management of the applications and data used in the mode of close integration with a corporate IT system and it defines permanent increase in requirements to the EMM tool. Gartner selects several basic feature sets of such packets.

Mobile indentifikation and access

Mobile devices are smartphones, platnsheta, notebooks — any more are not used in especially standalone mode. Also it is not just about need of network connection, and about an opportunity for work with corporate resources, and it means that client devices should be authorized according to corporate politicians. Respectively, mobile identification is the key EMM component. Usually for the solution of this task digital certificates are used, but they can be added with a set of other technologies, including biometric and a token authentication. On the next stage mobile identification will widely apply contextual methods which in addition to determination of users and devices, will control where connection to network is how exactly performed (at office, at home, in public Wi-Fi-network, within the country or beyond its limits). According to data retrieveds the decision on level of the provided access will be made. Experts of Gartner expect that in the next three years contextual mobile identification will become standard functionality of EMM products.

Ensuring protection at the level of files

Protection of corporate data on mobile devices traditionally is based on the whole set of options of enciphering of information and also on use of corporate management methods access, such as use of PIN, control of waiting time and so forth. However today this set of means are already obviously not enough as data can easily exceed the limit of the IT perimeter controlled by the organization. Use of personal mailboxes for work with corporate information or copying of data on home PCs where there are no necessary means of protecting can be a problem, for example. Thus, there is a problem of protection actually this irrespective of the physical place of their stay. Its solution is possible using technologies of management of the rights to use information (IRM), broader use of enciphering at the level of files, including based on a public key infrastructure (PKI).

Some EMM vendors build in instruments of protection at the file level already now and also IRM means basic functionality of the products, but other suppliers go way of integration of EMM systems into already used solutions for management of identification and access of more general purpose, creating uniform points of administration by processes of data encryption and management of corporate security policies.

EMM as "glue"

According to Gartner, use of EMM solutions is only a first step which the organizations should make to increase efficiency of the operating activities using mobile platforms, having arranged device management of employees. Expansion of the sphere of use of mobility in the most various business processes, creation of a uniform client IT environment which includes both traditional PC infrastructure, and mobile devices should become the next step.

In due time widespread introduction of the PC in business life of the enterprises was in many respects provided with methods of rather tough unification of the implemented equipment rooms and software tools which promotion went "from top to down". Such approach can be applied also to mobile devices, but nevertheless industry experience shows its not really high efficiency in terms of business results. Penetration of mobile means into life of the companies goes in many respects in the direction "from below up" when employees want to apply means already familiar to them and technologies in the productive activity. In the technical plan support of heterogeneous client environment is much more difficult, than in case of traditional homogeneous IT infrastructure, but at the same time it is possible to receive more good results in terms of core business of the company. In this situation EMM acts as "glue" which allows to connect various mobile devices and applications to business processes of the organization.

The unified management of a client IT environment

Still customers use different means for management of the PC and mobile devices. Usually in the companies separate groups of implementation and technical support are engaged in the solution of these tasks. Now there is a process of consolidation of these two tasks both in the technology roadmap, and in organizational. Considering it, Gartner considers that the forthcoming release of Windows 10 OS in which the possibilities of MDM API provided to Windows 8.1 are expanded can play the positive role. In particular, using this mechanism it will be possible to manage personal computers via EMM tools, including using client programs agents. Though experts emphasize that it is not really simple to implement such idea as despite narrowing of scope of the PC nevertheless they continue to support an overwhelming part of transactions, crucial for the company.

But nevertheless analysts of Gartner are sure that process of formation of single solutions for management of client environment will continue, and it will not be limited to the PC, tablets and smartphones. In the most near future to them the broad spectrum of "smart" devices from the world of Internet of Things (IoT) will increase. Already today in the field of management of EMM printers, hours, TVs and other equipment get. However, on this way certain problems as still many "smart things" are created on especially proprietary principles with the minimum opportunities of external control from "not producer" are visible already now. However such closeness is normal for initial phase of market grouping. In process of expansion of the sphere of IoT problems of integration will be comes to the forefront, and it will force producers to pass to open standards.

2014: AirWatch bypasses BlackBerry and becomes the leader

At the beginning of July, 2015 the IDC analytical company published results of a research of the world market of the software in the field of management of corporate mobility. The only producer at which sales of this software decline is BlackBerry.

According to calculation of IDC, the size of the market of EMM solutions in 2014 was $1.4 billion, having increased by 27.2% in comparison with previous year. Before specialists predicted rise for 22%. In the market strong fragmentation and dense fight where even small recession of vendor can discard it on several positions back is still observed.

Alignment of forces in the market of EMM solutions, data of IDC for 2014.

So happened to BlackBerry at which proceeds from sales of software in the field of management of corporate mobility dropped by 16.7% in 2014 — to $133.8 million. As a result the Canadian company rolled down from the first on the third place in the rating of the leading vendors, having conceded to AirWatch and Good Technology.

The newly made leader of AirWatch finished 2014 with revenue in the market in $161.1 million that is 78% more in comparison with the 2013th. This rise was the highest among all producers. A market share of AirWatch — 11.4%.

At Good Techonolgy income in the considered segment of the software industry in 2014 jumped by 55.3%, having reached $136.8 million, corresponding to 9.7% of universal value.

According to IDC for 2014, the five of the leading brands in the market of EMM also included MobileIron and Citrix which increased sales of software for 26.2% and 47.2% respectively — to $130.1 million (9.2% of the volume of the world market) and $114.2 million (8.1%). Further SAP (8%), IBM (4.9%), Microsoft (3.1%), SOTI (3.1%), Sophos (2.9%) and Symantec (2.7%) were located.

As the analyst of IDC Stacy Crook, high dynamics of growth which was shown by many companies in the software market in the field of management of corporate mobility in 2014 notes, shows that no producer can relax.^[2]

2012

Gartner: The era of desktop computers ended

According to the research Gartner conducted at the end of October, 2012 in 2017 more than two thirds of the enterprises around the world will switch to mobile devices in work with corporate systems of management.

Analysts are sure that more than 65% of the enterprises will use various solutions for mobile devices, in particular for tablets and smartphones, in work with corporate systems.

"The era of desktop computers ended. Employees become more and more mobile and are ready to perform work in any place, the main thing that there was an access to a corporate system", - the vice president for the researches Gartner Phil Redman told. - High performance and convenience of work with mobile devices attract the big companies and their employees more and more. The only stopper at the moment is safety of work on mobile platforms, however developers, in turn, take great pain to liquidate this problem".

Gartner predicts that by 2017 90% of the enterprises will support two and more mobile operating systems for work of the employees.

In 2011, many companies passed to iOS from Apple as the main mobile platform. Other mobile platforms are considered and can be set in the next 12-18 months. Thus, the solutions supporting MDM according to analysts will be in the growing demand in the nearest future.

Rapid development of the market of tablet computers became one of basic reasons of growth of this direction. If earlier users of tablets were limited to installation of corporate mail, then now more and more people want to implement on the devices mobile applications of corporate systems for work in any place.

"In the next two years we will observe sharp expansion of platforms and the solutions MDM", - Redman told. - The directions the organizations which are engaged in mobile application development and the encouraging employees in use of these solutions will move generally it".

MDM strategy of Microsoft

Heart of MDM strategy of Microsoft is its Exchange mail server. If you use Exchange Server for mail delivery on phones and tablets, you already involve the Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) protocol which can also be used for relaying the politician on devices and access control on users, roles and groups. And it is even not obligatory for you to install Exchange Server in the organization as EAS is a part of a cloud service of Microsoft Office 365. Now EAS support Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, IOS and Android, and in Windows 8 and Windows RT this protocol is supported through the Windows e-mail client.

EAS also is in a core of the service means of Microsoft InTune managed through a cloud. Tools for management of EAS politicians and integration into the Exchange servers for relaying the politician on the managed devices are added to his latest version. In InTune there was also a local shop from which it is possible to deliver applications to smartphones and tablets with support of licenses for the organization and locally developed applications. The price scheme InTune with calculation on months and number of users is attractive to small and medium business, and its resellersky version allows independent software suppliers and the consulting companies to use InTune for device management in several client organizations.

MDM strategy of RIM

The BlackBerry platform of RIM company remains reliable corporate solution as the platform of management BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) provides a wide choice configured the politician of device management. From BES it is easy to keep BlackBerry devices under control, and its new feature Balance allows to separate accurately working and personal data and guarantees that the user will not lose the information if on the personal device the corporate account is deleted. RIM offers three different versions of BES: the free cloud version with the minimum set the politician for integration with Office 365, also free version for small business of BES Express and full-function option of BES with a full range the politician in whom not only the server, but also licenses of client access is paid.

In the product BlackBerry Mobile Fusion devices based on iOS and Android when using one environment for management are in addition supported and own RIM devices (including the PlayBook tablet), and the equipment of third-party producers. Mobile Fusion will also become basis for new generation of management tools of BlackBerry focused on future BlackBerry 10 OS.

MDM strategy of Symantec

Krossplatformny opportunities of MDM — a key to successful BYOD strategy as they allow to create equal conditions of a game for users. One of means which can help with it is Mobile Management for Configuration Manager of Symantec company (this new the name of the product Athena of Odyssey company). At integration into Microsoft System Center Configuration Manage of means Symantec allow to manage mobile devices along with the PC and notebooks and at the same time give the chance to receive status reports on devices, to selectively erase corporate data and to deliver the protected e-mail to Android equipment.

The market of MDM purchases the increasing importance, and its products, perhaps, will become one of key components of IT strategy of many organizations — absolutely clearly that return motion of BYOD is not expected. MDM does not require big costs and brings explicit benefits — especially during the work in the regulated industry.

Read Also

• Structure of the market of corporate mobility
• History of the Russian corporate mobility
• Corporate mobility of Bring Your Own Device - BYOD
• Overview: Mobile technologies for business
• The Russian market of mobile applications for business

Notes